‘My Eid starts soon after I reach home’
"Having offered prayer at the mosque in the morning, I could not have sweetmeats like semai, payes or firni. Instead, I had usual breakfast at the hotel," Bangladesh national football team striker Nabib Newaj Jibon recalled with anguish the memories of the Eid that he had to spend away from home while on tour to Laos for the first leg of the 2022 FIFA World Cup and 2023 AFC Asian Cup Preliminary Joint Qualification in June 2019.
Jibon later came to know that a couple of his teammates had the opportunity to have those sweetmeats at the mosque after the prayer and that only deepened his grief.
The lanky forward had also craved the closeness of friends and family in Laos and could relate to the gloom and despair of the expatriate Bangladeshis who have to celebrate Eid away from home and family. However, Jibon would soon forget everything when Bangladesh beat Laos 1-0 the day after.
"I talked with my family members after the Eid prayer but I still felt lonely. As professional footballers, we were all focused on the training on Eid and the crucial match against Laos. And the win over Laos the next day helped me forget about it all," said Jibon.
Jibon, even before he made a name for himself as a professional footballer, was well-known in his neighbourhood. And the striker, unlike many athletes, cherishes the part of Eid when he is adored by the fans.
"I always got respect from neighbours but since I have been playing for the national team and Abahani, the scenario has changed slightly. Now, I am being captured by fans' selfies after Eid namaz. The people are also showing more respect than before and it makes me really happy. I enjoy these moments during Eid," said the 31-year-old footballer.
Jibon, who hails from Shibganj in Bogura, also hopes to have a longer Eid vacation.
"To be honest, my Eid starts soon after I reach home from Dhaka," Jibon said.
"It is a totally different world for me in my village because there I have no need for scheduled training, having routine meals, or playing competitive matches. So, to me, Eid has always been like an opportunity to get together with my family members, relatives, friends and fans."
But even spending Eid in the country is not all fun and games for Jibon. After a miserable experience in 2019, this time the striker will take the train from Dhaka to Syedpur and then travel another 130 kilometers to reach his hometown Bogura.
"In 2019, I initially bought bus tickets but it was delayed for a few hours and I had to hire a private car to travel to Bogura from Dhaka. But that journey was really miserable as it took nearly 24 hours to reach home due to the heavy traffic," Jibon said as he wondered when such long tailback on highways will come to an end during Eid.